Healing
by Jenn11
Summary: What if Nightwing had been called earlier, and he, not the JLA, went to find Superman in the Fortress of SolitudeAction Comics 829. . . How would things have turned out differently. . .
1. Father and Son

Title: Healing

Author: Jenn

Rating: K+

Summary: What if Nightwing had been called earlier, and he, not the JLA, went to find Superman in the Fortress of Solitude. . . How would things have turned out differently. . .

A/N: This is my take on the events in Action Comics #829 and Adventures of Superman #642. I'm saying that Dick is still at Wayne Manor after being injured in War Games, before events in the current Nightwing storyline. Also, Redhood, aka Jason Todd, has not yet appeared.

Chapter 1: Father and Son

Nightwing was sitting at the BatCave computer, searching through some files, when the screen came alive with an incoming message.

"Wally?"

"Dick, you'd better get up here to the Watchtower," he said in an unusually serious voice. "It's. . .Batman."

A few seconds later Nightwing materialized on the Watchtower teleporter pads. As he stepped away they activated again. This time Robin and Batgirl appeared.

"Where is he?" Dick asked his friend.

"In the medical bay," Wally answered.

Dick ignored his injured leg and took off at a run with Tim and Cassandra right behind him.

But, of course, Flash beat them with time to spare.

"Out of my way," Dick ordered, when he found Wally blocking the door.

"You can't go in there. They're still operating. You'd break the sterile field."

Dick reluctantly stepped back. "How bad?"

"He. . .might not make it."

"What happened?" Robin asked.

"The story I got, I don't believe. Superman brought him up here. . .saying he'd done it. Dick . . . You know what his super strength can do to a person, and he used his heat vision. Even Bat's body armour could only do so much. . ."

"Cla. . .Superman, used his full strength, and his heat vision?" Dick asked in disbelief.

"That's what it looked like," Wally confirmed, wishing he could give his friend better news.

The disbelief was burned away by rage. Dick turned to Tim. "Stay here. Call me if . . .if you hear anything."

"Where are you going?" Tim called after him, but Nightwing was already gone.

Tim and Wally shared uneasy looks. Dck was usually very easy going, but on the rare occasions when he lost his temper. . .they knew to get away to minimum safe distance.

Back in the BatCave Dick raced through the caverns to the lowest, most secure area. Punching in a code he opened what was possibly the most secure vault in the world and pulled out the small item he wanted. Sliding it onto his finger he reclosed the vault and headed back up through the caverns. Adrenaline and anger burned through his veins, giving him energy and killing the pain of his injured leg.

He immediately teleported back to the Watchtower. At the computer he typed in a request.

LOCATION? SUPERMAN

ACCESS DENIED

He typed in code and the screen changed, giving him the information he wanted. Returning to the teleporter he entered a location code.

Wonder Woman walked into the room just in time to see him disappear, and hurried to find out where he'd teleported to.

In his Fortress of Solitude, Superman looked up when he heard the familiar hum of the teleporter. Only four people knew the location code. Himself, Bruce, J'onn and Diana. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Dick storming towards him, the usually laughing blue eyes flashing fire.

"DID. YOU. DO. IT?"

Clark didn't need to ask what Dick meant. "Yes. . .but. . ."

"BUT NOTHING!" Dick said, slamming his fist into Clark's face. The kryptonite ring on his finger did it's work. Weakened by the kryptonite, Clark was no match for Dick's adrenaline fueled attack.

Wally, Tim and Cass looked down the hall as they heard footsteps quickly approaching. "We have a problem," Wonder Woman announced. "Nightwing has teleported to the Fortress of Solitude. He went to The Cave first."

After a stunned moment Tim spoke. "It's probably worse than you think. I'm guessing Dick stopped by The Cave for the kryptonite ring."

"I thought Bruce kept the ring locked up? And how in Hera's name did Dick get the location code to the Fortress?"

"When Bane put Batman in a wheelchair. . . He gave Jean-Paul his cape and cowl. But he gave Dick his codes. All his codes. To the cave, the vault, and the Watchtower. Dick told me about it a while ago." Tim suspected that Bruce doing that had kept the strained relationship from falling apart completely. It had proven to Dick that while Jean-Paul had been chosen to act as Batman, Bruce trusted Dick with Batman's most important secrets.

Before anyone could say anything else J'onn came out of the surgery room.

"He's made it through surgery. At the moment, he seems to be stable, but his condition is still critical. Once he has a bit of his strength back we'll put him under the healing rays."

Back in the Fortress of Solitude a voice came from Dick's communicator.

"Get up here! He's out of surgery!"

"On our way," he replied.

Superman finally found his voice. "Dick. . ."

"Do NOT call me that. You no longer have the right to call me that. I trusted you! He trusted you! And now, thanks to you. . . " Dick couldn't finish. He couldn't say that Batman might die. "You're coming with me. You're going to face him. You're going to see what you've done."

Superman was in shock. As much from Dick's words as from the kryptonite. Dick had always admired and looked up to him. He'd never been anything other than respectful.

A few minutes later Superman and Dick were running along the halls of the Watchtower. Dick had left the ring on, so Clark was unable to fly, as he usually would have.

Dick paused in the doorway, taking in the scene before him. Bruce lay in the bed, his lower half covered by a sheet. His upper body was covered with bandages. He could also see scrapes, burns and bruises that were not severe enough to require bandages. An oxygen mask covered Bruce's mouth and nose.

Selena, Tim and Cassandra were standing together on one side of the bed. J'onn, Diana and Flash stood on the other side. Dick figured that Tim had been the one to call Selena and get her up here.

Hearing a familiar voice behind him, Dick glanced over his shoulder. "Babs," he greeted, moving out of her way, so she could enter the room.

Superman felt a pain that had nothing to do with kryptonite poisoning as he looked at his friend. He didn't think anything could be more painful to him than kryptonite poisoning, but the regret and guilt that ate away at him were far worse. As the full extent of what he'd done to Bruce registered, a sense of self loathing began to fill him.

Diana noticed the ring on Dick's finger. "Give me the ring," she requested.

"No. I'll give it to Bruce when he wakes up. He can decide what to do with it then."

"But that could be days, and. . . what if he doesn't?"

"Then the ring stays on."

"You can't do that."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I can. Bruce gave me the codes to the vault. If anything happened to him, everything in the vault was mine, to do with as I saw fit. Something's happened to him. . ." Dick paused and turned an arctic cold glare at Clark. "Of course, when he was worried that something would happen, he never imagined that his best friend would be the one to do it," he continued in an acid tone.

"Or maybe he did, this is Bruce we're talking about," Wally said.

Dick shrugged. "Either way. The ring is Bruce's when he wakes up, and mine if he doesn't."

Robin was speechless with shock. . .What was Dick trying to pull? Then Dick met his eyes and he suddenly understood. Of course Dick wouldn't keep the ring on forever. He knew what the ring had done to Lex Luthor. He was just reminding everyone of something they'd all known for years. Nightwing was Batman's heir apparent. With Batman unconscious, Nightwing now held Batman's place and authority.

"I can't believe he trusted you with that ring," Green Lantern muttered as he came in. The door was open and other JLA members stood looking through it.

"I'm his son. He trusts me. He trusts us," he said, in a dangerously low and calm voice. A voice he'd learned from Batman. Sweeping his arm to indicate the rest of the BatClan, he continued. "It's you guys he doesn't trust." His gaze zeroed in on Zatana. "You erase his memories." He then let his arctic cold gaze move to other JLA members. "Then you dare to call him paranoid and say that he should trust you?"

His gaze focused on Wally. "And when you learn about it you don't even tell me."

Feeling the effects of prolonged exposure to the ring, and the shock of what he'd done to his best friend, Superman fell to his knees.

"Get him out of here," Nightwing ordered, in a tone eerily similar to Batman's. A tone that served batter than anything to remind them all that they were dealing with Batman's son and heir.

J'onn and Wonder Woman helped Superman from the room.

Flash looked over at his friend, guilt in his eyes. He'd hated keeping the secret of what the League members had done to Batman from his friend, and didn't blame Dick for being angry at them. Hell, he'd been angry when he'd found out, and Bruce wasn't his father. He also knew his friend's temper. Once he calmed down they could talk and work it out. "We'll take care of Superman. You have my word. You take care of your father."

Barbra moved her chair closer to Dick and put a hand on his arm. "Wally's right. Let the JLA handle Clark. You always tell me how much you hate it when Bruce puts the mission ahead of the people who love him. The people he loves, even if he won't admit it. Don't make the same mistake."

It hadn't taken her Psych 101 class to tell her that Bruce never told anyone they loved them for a very simple reason. He'd told his parent's he's loved then and they'd died. She doubted he'd said the words 'I love you' since their deaths. He would have seen saying the words as giving the person a death sentence.

As always Barbra got through to him, and he forced himself to relax. Thinking over the last half hour he realized how much like Batman he sounded. The thought crossed his mind that there was really no denying he was Batman's son.

"Alright," he agreed, giving her a small, grateful, smile. He then turned to Tim. "Where's Alfred?"

"He's getting Dr. Thompson. They should be here in a few minutes."

Dick nodded. While the Watchtower medical facilities were beyond state of the art, they would all be happy to have a familiar face taking care of Bruce. "As soon as Leslie says he's stable I want to move him home. The medical stuff there is almost as good as what's here, and he'll rest easier back in the Cave."

"I'll go get the stuff set up in the Cave," Cass volunteered, sure that none of the others would be willing to leave their mentor's side. Not that she particularly wanted to leave, but she felt helpless standing around. Cass hated feeling helpless and at least if she was setting up medical equipment she'd be doing something to help.

"What has gotten into Nightwing?" Wonder Woman muttered as they entered the Conference Room.

J'onn answered. "He's scared. Scared his father will die. It's easier for him to deal with his anger than his fear, so we see his anger. He would not be near this angry if it had been his memories erased, or him Clark had attacked."

Clark thought about the times people had tried to hurt his father, usually as a way to get to him, and understood Dick's reaction. And he hadn't exactly been happy to learn that League members had erased Bruce's memory. Dick was right. After that, they had no right to ask Batman, or Nightwing, to trust them. He wasn't even sure he trusted the League anymore. There was no doubt that Batman was paranoid. But maybe that paranoia was somewhat justified, he admitted.

And as much as he worried for his friend, he also worried for Dick. He knew one of Bruce's greatest fears was that Dick would one day become him. Oh, Batman wanted Nightwing to take his place one day. But he'd never wanted his son to be just like him. Bruce had admitted that, as much as it sometimes got on his nerves, he wanted Dick to retain his sense of humor. He was well aware that if he lost that, they would lose him.

And as much as he warned his son not to trust anyone Batman was well aware that Nightwing's ability to trust made him a better leader than he would ever be. Batman was a loner, Nightwing had shown he was more than capable of being a leader. While Batman rarely admitted it, Clark knew he was incredibly proud of that.

Diana's voice cut into his thoughts. "How are you feeling?"

"The kryptonite is wearing off," he answered. But the worse pain, the pain caused by regret and guilt, was only getting worse.

A/N: Next chapter they find out why Superman attacked Bruce, and we get other peoples reactions to what ahs happened to Bruce (Alfred, Selina, etc) as they stand watch, waiting for him to wake up.


	2. Explanations and Decisions

Fic: Healing

Author: Jenn

A/N: Since I had today off work I managed to get the next chapter done. I know I said this would be peoples reaction to Bruce's injuries, but I had to change it a bit.

Trecebo, since you asked so nicely, I thought I should get the back story established, and some things explained. Hope it's what you had in mind. Thank you VERY VERY much for the kind feedback! It's greatly appreciated.

This ended up being another Nihgtwing centric chapter since he's the only one with all the back stories and explanations. ..

EXPLANATIONS AND DECISIONS

A few hours later J'onn returned. "I think it's time to put him under the healing rays."

"I agree," said Dr. Thompkins. The only time she'd seen Bruce in worse shape was after Bane had beaten him and broken his back.

"Where's Superman?" Nightwing asked.

"Resting in his quarters."

Tim asked the question on all their minds. "What happened? Why did he attack Batman?"

"His conscious memories were. . . unreliable, so I went into his mind to find the truth. He didn't know it was Bruce he was fighting. In his mind Superman saw Darkseid turn Lois against him. He thought Darkseid was controlling her mind. His rage kept him from considering that it was his mind being controlled. He attacked Darkseid."

"But it wasn't Darkseid, it was. . ." Robin broke off, unable to finish.

"Batman. Yes. But Darkseid is not the one behind this. While I was in Superman's mind Max Lord tried to take control of him again. Thankfully, I was able to stop him. Max Lord is the one who was controlling Superman's mind. I broke the connection, and he will not be able to do it again."

"Two birds with one stone," Nightwing muttered. "He effectively takes out Superman, and Batman at the same time."

J'onn agreed with his assessment. Superman may not have been hurt physically during the fight, but the emotional injury of knowing he'd almost killed his best friend, and couldn't trust his own mind, would take a long time to heal. "I believe that Batman was the true target. If anyone can find Lord and take the OMAC back it would be Batman."

"Right now, let's worry about getting Bruce under those healing rays," Dr. Tompkins cut in. "With any luck we can take him back to the Manor tomorrow morning."

While Bruce was under the healing rays Barbra turned to Nightwing. "I'm going to the BatCave. We still have to find that missing Brother I satellite. Call me if. . ."

"I'll call you," he promised her, but had a feeling she'd hack into the Watchtower security cameras and keep an eye on Bruce herself.

That evening Selina and Tim left, to do the usual patrol of Gotham. They'd both gotten tired of feeling helpless, and thought maybe taking down a few criminals would give them the feeling of accomplishing something. And they also knew Batman would want Gotham protected. Nightwing almost felt sorry for any criminal dumb enough to cross them. Almost.

Late that night Wally walked into the room where Dick sat watch over his father. Dick had finally convinced Alfred and Dr. Thompkins to get a few hours of sleep, and sat alone with Bruce. It was hard for him to see Bruce the way he was.

Wally paused in the door for a second before entering. "Hey."

"Wally."

"You calmed down enough to talk?"

"Yeah. Long as you aren't going to try and tell me to go get some sleep. Alfred and Dr. Tompkins have already tried that."

"Actually, I brought you some coffee," Wally said, holding out a mug. He knew his friend well enough to know he wouldn't leave his father's side.

"Thanks," Dick said as he took it.

"How is he?"

"Sleeping. Healing. But it's going to be a long time before he's really healed. And him pushing things the way he always does isn't going to help," Dick noted in a tone laced with frustration.

"Sounds like you," Wally quipped, with a pointed look at the brace on Dick's leg. Those who had worked with Nightwing in the Teen Titan's knew that he never really allowed himself enough recovery time.

Dick scowled at his friend, but there was no real anger in the scowl.

"So how did you find out about the memory thing?" Wally asked. "Batman tell you?"

"Yeah. Have you talked to Arsenal lately?"

"Every week or so," Wally answered, wondering if Dick was changing the subject.

"Did he tell you about Slade?"

"That Slade posed as Batman and gave the Outsiders missions? Yeah."

"When Arsenal told us that he was getting missions from Batman I went to the Batcave. We had our usual pleasant conversation," Dick added in a half joking/half sarcastic tone. Wally gave a wry grin, imaging the argument that had taken place. "At one point Batman told me not to trust anyone. Not even him. He also said something about memories. At the time I didn't think much of it. Then we had the Gang War in Gotham.

But while I've been at the Manor healing up Bruce and I have actually talked. He told me what Zatana and the others had done. And what he'd done. I can't believe that they actually thought it would work. I mean, Batman isn't Dr. Light or some other second rate villain. He spent years studying martial arts. Not just the fighting moves, but the mental disciplines."

"Yeah. I wasn't to surprised to learn that Batman had his memories back," Wally agreed. If anyone's mind could break through mystical memory blocks, it would be Batman's.

"What exactly did he tell you?" Wally asked, wondering how much Batman had shared.

"He started getting these flashbacks. Snapshot images of memory. But once he got those it wasn't hard for him to get the rest of the memory. After Dr. Light attacked Sue Denby he went back to the Watchtower to check on her, but instead he found Zatana giving Dr. Light a mystical lobotomy. She froze him, and then erased his memory of the event, with the permission of the other League members who were there. I'm . . .I'm glad youwere the Flash who was there that night," Dick admitted.

After a second he continued. "Once he knew Zatana and the others were willing, and able, to mess with League member's memories he built Brother I. OMAC. A surveillance system that no one in the League knew about, so they couldn't tamper with it. A system designed to keep an eye on Meta-Humans. And now Lord has taken it over."

"Barbra hasn't had any luck finding it?"

"No. Not yet. Batman designed the satellite to be impossible to find. It can find anyone, but no one can find it." Nightwing paused for a second. "Now I have a question for you. Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded, undertones of anger and pain in his voice.

It was the pain in his friends voice that sent a fresh stab of guilt through Wally. "I wanted to. You have to believe that. But I couldn't. And when did I have a chance to tell you? I didn't learn about it until after Sue Denby was killed. Then you were busy with the Gang War. After that you were in the Manor, with Bruce. I didn't know that he'd figured it out, and couldn't risk talking to you at the Manor with him so close."

"You could have asked me to meet you somewhere."

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. . ."

They were interrupted as J'onn came into the room. "I think it's time to put him under the healing rays again. But first, I think we should talk."

"About?"

"You made it very clear that you are filling in for Batman until he recovers. Some decisions need to be made. And since Batman would be the one making these decisions, you need to make them," he said. He was very curious to find out what Nightwing would do. Batman was able to put aside personal considerations, and do what had to be done. Would Nightwing be able to?

"What decisions?"

"What to do about Clark, Max Lord, and Brother I," Diana said from the door. She entered with the other three permanent members of the League beside her. Only Superman was now missing.

Dick looked back at J'onn. "You're sure Max Lord can't get control of Superman again?"

"Yes."

Nightwing thought for a few minutes. Part of him wanted to lock Clark in a room with the kryptonine ring. But he knew that wasn't really an option. But neither was pretending the attack hadn't happened. There had to be some middle ground.

"Do you think he's ready to be back in action?" he asked J'onn, even though he knew the answer. He didn't want it to look as if he wasn't listening to the other Members. And even though he knew the answer, he wanted it stated for everyone to hear.

"Physically, yes."

"Mentally?"

"No."

"Neither do I. I think he should either stay here in the Tower, or return to the Fortress. And we need to monitor him, just to be sure he stays put."

The others nodded. It was a reasonable compromise. And none of them wanted to take the chance of being the next one Superman attacked.

"Max Lord is going to be on Brother I. Before we can deal with him, we have to find it. Oracle is working on that. All we can do for now is make sure we're ready to move as soon as we get a location. And I don't think we should have anyone out acting on their own. We need to team up. At this point I think it's a safe bet that Max Lord or Brother I killed Blue Beetle. He might not have died if he wasn't alone. We need to watch each others backs in case there's another attack."

"Smart plan," Green Lantern admitted.

"Anything else?"

"I'll get to work on teaming people up," Wonder Woman said. "And it might be good to have everyone who can gather here at the Watchtower."

"No." Green Lantern and Nightwing said at the same time.

"The Watchtower is already a tempting target. I saw the plans for Brother I. It has weapons. Weapons that could damage, or even destroy, the Watchtower. We put everyone here and Brother I could wipe most of us out with one blow," Nightwing explained.

None of them could argue with his logic.

"I'm going to take Batman for his time under the healing rays," J'onn said, and the meeting effectively ended. He was pleased with how well Nightwing had handled things. Batman had chosen his heir well. But then, he'd expect nothing less from his friend.

A/N: Chaper 3 won't be ready until sometime next week. . .


	3. Family

Fic: Healing

Author: Jenn

FAMILY

The next morning Bruce awoke to a familiar sensation. One he'd occasionally felt for as long as he could remember. Leslie Tompkin's hand on his forehead, checking his temperature.

"Leslie," he managed, as he forced his eyes open.

"Welcome back. You gave us a real scare this time," she informed him.

"Water," he requested.

From the opposite side he felt strong arms help him into a more upright position so he could drink. He didn't need to look to know it was his son. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"Don't scare us like that again," Dick said. He'd been very relieved when they'd been able to take Batman off oxygen a few hours earlier after his third time under the healing rays. After each session Batman had looked better, and J'onn had said that while Bruce was still in bad shape, he didn't believe his life was in danger any longer, as long as he continued to get the medical care he desperately needed.

After Bruce had a bit of water Dick carefully eased him back to the bed.

"Alfred?"

"Right here, Master Bruce," he said as he walked into the room carrying a trey with three coffee mugs.

Leslie and Dick both happily accepted their mugs.

As his mind cleared memories came rushing back, and he tried to sit up. "Clark!"

"Don't even think about getting out of that bed," Dr. Tompkins warned.

"He's at the Fortress of Solitude, and we're monitoring him," Nightwing quickly answered.

Bruce sank back into the pillows. "Is he. . ."

"He's back to his usual self."

"What happened? Why . . ."

Knowing that Batman wouldn't rest until he had the answers he wanted Nightwing filled him in on what they knew. It only took a few minutes, but by the time he was done Bruce was already sinking back towards unconsciousness, fighting it as hard as he could.

An hour later Tim and Selina had joined the group, as had J'onn and Green Lantern.

J'onn and Leslie moved to one side for a whispered conference on their patient's condition. Once they were done she turned back to the others. "Now we just have to get him to the teleporter and then through the Cave without jarring him."

"That's why I'm here," Green Lantern told her.

Using his ring he created a field around Batman that lifted him from the bed, and supported him in the air. While he and Batman were team mates, rather than friends, he did respect Batman, even if he didn't entirely trust him.

Flash stood in place, staring at the teleporter even after the group had disappeared. He knew that outsiders, and even some part-time members of he League would say that Superman was the leader of the League. But since becoming a full time member he'd learned that the truth was much more complicated. In many ways Superman was leader of the Justice League. In other, more subtle, ways Batman was the one in charge.

Yes, he usually followed Superman's orders, but he'd shown more that once that he was perfectly willing to ignore, or even defy, those orders. And most of the orders Superman gave were based on advice and information from Batman.

There was also the fact that Wayne Enterprises paid the JLA's bills. And had built the Watchtower. J'onn was officially the Administrator of the Watchtower computers. But Wally knew that none of them would bet against Batman having his own codes that could override J'onn's. And he'd given those codes to Nightwing.

The thought of his friend reminded him of what Nightwing had said earlier. That he was glad Wally hadn't been the Flash who'd agreed to erase Batman's memory. He was glad of that as well. He could understand the need to wipe the memory of Dr. Light and other villains who discovered the League's true identities. Those identities had to be protected, since they protected their families and friends. But to erase Batman's memory? He wasn't sure if he could have agreed to that.

He knew some would say it was only ten minutes of memory, and didn't matter. But he had talked with Nightwing about Batman often enough to know better. Batman didn't have any powers like the other League members did. No super speed or super strength. And as well as Batman had trained and strengthened his body, his most dangerous weapon was his mind. The one thing Batman had always been able to count on, that the League had always been able to count on, was his mind. And Zatana and the others had messed with his mind. It was a lot worse than ten missing minutes.

Down in the Cave Alfred escorted Green Lantern back to where the teleporter would pick him up. "Thank you for your assistance. It is greatly appreciated."

"You're welcome," Green Lantern said, before his disappeared.

Turning back to where the others were Alfred gave a sign of relief. He knew they were all happy to be back in the Cave, and to have just 'the family' around. 'A most unusual family, but still a family,' he thought as a small smile curved the corners of his mouth.

He heard Leslie praising Cassandra for having the medical equipment perfectly set up for what was needed. She then proceeded to put a new IV in where they had removed the one he'd had up in the Watchtower.

The movement had woken Bruce up again and he took stock of his physical condition. He was still in a lot of pain, but it felt. . . distant. He felt the pain, but he didn't really care about it. Morphine, or some other opiate, he realized. But even with the drug he felt pain from every part of his body. Opening his eyes he registered that he was now in the BatCave, rather than the Watchtower, and looked around at his family. His eyes came to rest on Nightwing's hand. Or more specifically, on the kryptonite ring on Nightwing's hand. "Put that away."

Following Bruce's line of vision Nightwing realized what he was talking about. Not happy, but not willing to upset Bruce in his present condition by arguing, he headed towards the vault.

He then turned his attention to the person he hadn't really expected to see. "Barbra. You're back?"

"Temporarily," she answered, smiling at him.

He gave a small nod of understanding, then regretted it when it sent a wave of pain through his head.

Alfred gave a discreet cough to get Bruce's attention. "The Young Master has not slept since you were injured, Master Bruce. None of us could convince him."

A few minutes later Nightwing returned to the group.

"Dick, go get some sleep. The others will wake you if they need to."

"Bruce. . ."

"Go. I'll be here when you wake up." From his own experience Bruce knew that Dick was afraid if he went to sleep he'd wake to find Bruce dead.

"Promise?"

"I promise. . .son."

Knowing that Bruce would never break a promise to him Dick reluctantly headed up to his room for some much needed sleep.

"I'd better get a couple hours sleep to, if I'm gonna be worth anything on patrol tonight," Tim said.

"Thank you," Bruce said, surprising all of them, except Leslie. She knew the pain killer was lowering Bruce's normal emotional control, making him a bit more willing to show his emotions. She figured the next few days could be very interesting.

"No problem," Tim said, with a smile on his face.

A few moments later Bruce drifted back to sleep.

Taking a seat beside him Selina slipped her hand under his. In her head she knew that J'onn and the medical equipment on the Watchtower had saved Bruce's life, but she felt better having him back in these familiar surroundings. Where he belonged. Where it was just 'the family'. She'd never admit it, but she had been honored when Bruce had finally told her the truth and let her into his family, and life.

A purely feminine pride filled her for a moment. A lot of women had tried to win Bruce's Wayne's heart. And more than one had tried to capture Batman's interest. A couple had even believed that they loved Bruce enough to accept his life as Batman. She knew they'd had it backwards. You had to love Batman, and accept his life as Bruce Wayne. Batman was the real person, Bruce Wayne the part he played, not the other way around.

A sheet still covered his legs, but looking over what she could see, Selina was amazed at how much he'd healed. Remembering how bad he'd looked when she first saw him she, not for the first time, marveled at his will to live. How many ordinary humans could go a few rounds with Superman and live to tell the tale? 'Not that Batman is ordinary . . . ' she thought, and almost smiled.

Alfred watched the scene with a pleased expression. It seemed Bruce had finally found a woman he could truly share his life with. A woman who could understand his double life, because she lived a double life herself. And he'd long suspected that another reason Bruce's relationships hadn't worked out was because Bruce had quickly become bored with those women. He had a feeling that would never be a problem with Selina.

Seeing Leslie approaching him, he turned his attention to her. "I think tomorrow or the next day you should get Superman down here so they can talk while Bruce is still on the Morphine."

"Is that wise?"

"They are friends, correct?"

"Yes, I would even go so far as to say best friends."

"His body will heal quickly. It always does. At this point those aren't the injuries I'm most worried about. You know Bruce. Given half a chance he'll bottle this up inside and refuse to talk about. Try to pretend it never happened. But it did happen, and he needs to deal with it. I've seen Bruce on Morphine before. It tends to . . . weaken his usual emotional defenses. He'll have to deal with his emotions. I realize there are risks to this idea, but I think they're worth taking."

Knowing that Leslie Thompkins would never suggest something she didn't believe to be in a patient's best interest Alfred nodded. And he had to agree that if allowed to Bruce would keep his emotions bottled up, rather than dealing with them. And if Bruce gave Superman a piece of his mind. . . Well, given the condition the man he considered a son was in, Alfred wouldn't say the Man of Steel didn't deserve it.

The real problem would be making sure Master Richard and the others would be no where near the Manor while Superman was.

An hour later Bruce had woken up again and was talking to Selina. "When I said we should spend some time together this isn't exactly what I had in mind," she told Bruce with a teasing smile on her lips.

"If you'd like I'm sure Alfred could bring some candles down with dinner," he told her with a perfectly straight face.

But Selina saw the smile that lit his eyes. It was a rare sight, and one she treasured. She had learned that Batman did smile, just with his eyes, not his lips, so most people missed it. And she had been surprised to realize that she valued those genuine smiles more than she did the superficial, social smiles he gave while playing the role of Bruce Wayne, Billionaire Playboy. "Just for that, once you're back on your feet you owe me a real candle light dinner. And I get to choose where," she told him with a smirk. A smirk she knew he found incredibly sexy, since it was both an invitation, and a challenge.

"As long as I get to choose dessert," he teased her, his eyes slowly going over her from head to toe and back again. He enjoyed the picture she made in a soft cashmere sweater and jeans that hugged her curves.

"Behave," she scolded half heartedly.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?"

"What's the matter? Don't like the taste of your own medicine?" she teased, thinking back to times when Batman had told her to behave and stay out of trouble with the law. She didn't really think he'd listen to her any better now than she'd listened to him then.

That evening Cassandra and Tim went out on Patrol together. "I am glad that Batman will recover," she said. Since she had first met him she'd respected Batman as one of the best fighter's she'd ever faced.

It hadn't been easy on her to see him in such a weak and injured condition. To her it had seemed. . .unnatural. Wrong. How could someone so strong, who was such a skilled fighter, be injured that badly? Since she had only ever seen Superman at a distance she'd never seen the damage he was capable of inflicting. Never realized exactly how strong he was. It was once thing to hear about what Superman could do, something entirely different to see it close up.

"So am I," Tim answered. Having so recently lost his father he knew he wasn't' ready to lose the man he'd come to think of as a second father. Part of him wanted to be back in the BatCave with Bruce, just in case. But he knew that Batman would rest more easily, and be more willing to take the recovery time he needed, if he knew Gotham was safe.

"Batman and Superman are friends."

"Yes," he agreed.

"Still?"

Robin considered a moment before answering. "I think so. I also think I wouldn't want to be Max Lord when they catch up to him."

"He has a lot to answer for," she agreed. Several ways of killing Lord ran through her mind, each one slower and more painful than the last. But after a few minutes she pushed such thoughts away. Batman's most basic rule was that they didn't kill, and she had long ago accepted that rule. 'But that doesn't mean I can't think about it,' she thought, a rather vicious smile on her lips. 'Besides, if he's alive he can suffer.' She definitely wanted him to suffer.

A/N:

Mysterious Jedi: Thank you! Hope this update was fast enough ;-)

Trecebo: THANKS! Glad you're liking the story. Hope you like this chapter.


	4. Late Night Conversations

Title: Healing

Author: Jenn

A/N: Tecebo, you're kind feedback encourages me to keep writing this story. THANKS! Hope you'll like this chapter. And there will be a bit more of Clark beating himself up and feeling guilty later. . .

LATE NIGHT CONVERSATIONS

Robin wasn't really surprised to see Bruce awake when they returned from patrolling. Nor was he surprised to see that Nightwing was once again at Bruce's side.

"Report," Batman immediately ordered.

"Pretty quiet. Stopped a few guys breaking into a wherehouse. Then we found a guy starting to beat on his girlfriend. Cass took care of him," Robin said with a grin. "Since he seemed to like hitting woman we thought he might like to try having one hit him."

"Veerrrry nice," Selina almost purred.

"Thought you'd like it," Robin said, still smiling.

"He was a coward. Can hit a woman, but can't take a hit. Weak," Cass filled in.

Ten minutes later Robin yawned. "Think I'll go get a few hours sleep."

"Sounds like a good idea," Selina agreed, standing up and stretching. Not caring about their audience she leaned down and gave Bruce a drawn out kiss, which he happily returned. The others watched with amusement.

Alfred and Dick shared a look of understanding. Selina was good for Bruce. She refused to be intimidated by him. Nor would she let him hide behind his old fears that loving him was a death sentence. She'd made it quite clear that she knew the risks, and taking them was her choice, not Bruce's. She also encouraged public displays of emotion, such as the kiss they were currently indulging in.

"Sweet dreams," Selina said before following Cassandra, Tim and Alfred up the stairs. Leslie and Barbra had gone to their beds an hour earlier.

After giving it some thought Dick had decided that while Bruce was on morphine might be the best time to bring up a subject they'd both been avoiding. He wanted Bruce's honest reaction, and decided to take advantage of the morphine Bruce was on to get it.

"You know what happened in Bludhaven, don't you? Blockbuster, Catalina. . . all of it."

"Of course. I needed your help with the gang war, but that wasn't the only reason I called you that day. I wanted you back home, away from Tarantula."

"How come you never said anything?"

"Why didn't you?" Bruce shot back. It still hurt that Dick hadn't trusted him enough to tell him what had happened. Usually he could bury the pain, and ignore it, but it came through in his voice.

"I. . . I was afraid."

"Of me?"

"No! Well, sometimes you scare me. But no, not like you mean. I was afraid that you'd be disappointed. That I'd failed you. That you wouldn't forgive me."

Bruce had to admit that forgiveness wasn't something he was known for. But. . . "There's nothing to forgive. You aren't the one who killed him."

"But I. . ."

"Could have stopped her?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not sure you could have. Not in the state you were in. I'm not doubting your fighting abilities. But mentally and emotionally. . . you'd been pushed far beyond anyone's limit. You were beyond exhausted. And you certainly weren't acting like yourself. Hardly surprising, after everything he'd done to you. . . "

Dick had to admit his father had a point. Then something else clicked into place. Things Batman had said, hints that'd he'd known exactly what happened. Including the smallest details. "You had me under surveillance! Brother I!" Dick accused, furious.

"No! No, Dick. Brother I wasn't watching you. It was watching Blockbuster, and his people."

That answer calmed him. He really couldn't fault Batman for keeping someone like Blockbuster under surveillance. "Okay."

"I'm . . . sorry."

Dick's eyes went wide with astonishment. "For what? You just said you weren't spying on me."

"No. But I knew what Blockbuster was doing to you and I didn't stop him. I didn't help you."

Dick shook his head. "I didn't want your help. Wouldn't have accepted it."

"I know. Bludhaven was your town, and I was trying to respect that. . . But staying away wasn't easy."

"Which I appreciate." He also knew how hard it must have been for Bruce not to interfere. Batman had a unique definition of easy. Benching 300 pounds was easy. Running a marathon was easy. Standing by and doing nothing was not easy. Not for Batman.

"I had to handle it my way. Even if that wasn't very well."

"You wanted to kill him." A statement, not a question.

"Yes."

"But you didn't. That's all that matters in the end."

Dick wasn't yet ready to fully accept that. But he was glad they finally had this out in the open.

"So what are you going to do about Clark?"

"I don't know yet."

"He has to pay for what he did to you!"

"Son, think. You know Clark. Do you honestly believe that there is anything even I could say to him that he hasn't already said to himself?"

"No. I guess not," he admitted. "But you were almost killed. Someone has to answer for that."

"Someone will. But not Clark." As someone used to manipulation he knew that the fault lay with the person doing the manipulating, not the one being manipulated. Though, he had to admit, Clark did make an easy target.

"Max Lord," Dick said in a venomous tone.

"Yes. Maxwell Lord. He has a great deal to answer for. And he will answer for it all."

A shiver ran down Dick's spine. Not that there was any threat or menace in the tone. There wasn't. And it was the simple matter-of-fact tone that was so terrifying. The sense of implacability. Max Lord was going to pay. It was that simple. That certain. He could almost pity Lord. Almost.

He had seen Batman enraged, and it was a terrifying sight, but his icy calmness was somehow worse. There was no burning anger that would eventually burn itself out. Instead there was a cold calculation that, like a glacier, moved inexorably forward. Unstoppable.

Exhausted, Bruce yawned, and within moments was asleep.

The next day Alfred stood beside Barbra at the BatCave's super computer. After a whispered conversation she slipped him a small device and he immediately headed up the stairs to the Manor.

"Alfred!" Flash said in surprise.

"Indeed. I need to request your help."

"Anything. . .Is Batman. . ."

"Recovering," Alfred quickly assured him. He then explained what he needed, and Flash reluctantly agreed. He really wasn't sure it was a good idea to but Batman and Superman in the same room, or rather cave, so soon.

Just over twelve hours later Superman entered the BatCave. He was surprised to see only Alfred with Bruce.

"Ah, Master Clark. Welcome."

"Clark," Bruce greeted in a carefully neutral tone.

"I believe I'd like some tea, if you gentlemen will excuse me," Alfred said before heading up the stairs.

"Where are the others?"

"Out on patrol, or sleeping," came the succinct answer.

"Bruce, I. . .for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry."

"You thought you were protecting Lois."

"Yes," he agreed, suddenly realizing that of anyone Bruce would perhaps best understand. Bruce knew better than anyone what people would do to protect the ones they loved. And how that protection could backfire, with horrifying results.

"When I fired Stephanie I thought I was protecting her," Bruce mused, more to himself than Clark.

But Clark was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even register Bruce's words. "I should have known. . . "

"Clark, for all your powers you can sometimes be the most. . . human, of any of us. And humans make mistakes."

"Gee, thanks," Clark said, not sure if he'd been complimented or insulted. But then, this was hardly the first time that had happened when talking with Batman.

"It was both," Bruce supplied, having read Clark's thoughts in his eyes.

"No human could have done to you what I did."

"No. Which is no doubt why Lord used you. Or at least one of the reasons."

Clark decided he was better off not asking the other reasons. As was their usual pattern he'd worry about the results and let Batman worry about the reasons. "Any luck finding him?"

"Not yet. Oracle is working on it."

"Save a piece of him for me."

"We'll see."

"You never did like to share," Clark teased.

"Comes from being an only child," Bruce shot back, in the tone of Bruce Wayne, rather than Batman.

"Must be some painkiller they've got you on," Clark said, as he realized why Bruce was so talkative.

"Morphine."

"So I'm forgiven?"

"You are."

'Maxwell Lord isn't.'

Bruce didn't say it aloud, but Clark heard it as clearly as if he had. And this time he found himself in complete agreement with his friend.

"And forgiven isn't forgotten."

Clark nodded. He'd long ago forgiven Batman for the files he'd kept on the League, but it had never been forgotten.

"What are you doing here?" Selina almost hissed as she entered the Cave.

"I think I'd better go."

"Good idea," Selina agreed, moving to Bruce's side.

Clark turned his attention back to his best friend. "Bruce. . . " He wasn't sure what to say. What words would be adequate.

Bruce gave a small nod, and Clark disappeared as super speed.

With Clark gone Bruce took Selina's hand in his. Before either could speak a third voice cut in. "Would anyone else care for some tea?" Alfred offered.

By unspoken agreement the subject of Superman and his visit was dropped and the three enjoyed a quiet conversation while they drank the tea Alfred had brought down.

TBC


	5. Early Morning Conversations

Title: Healing

Author: Jenn

EARLY MORNING CONVERSATIONS

As had become the pattern, the rest of the family ate breakfast while Dr. Thompkins examined Bruce, to ensure that his recovery was going as expected. The smile on her face when she joined them answered their questions before they could ask them.

"Since those healing rays got the process jump started Bruce's body is healing more quickly as ever. While I can't always approve of what he does, I have to admit that by keeping himself in top physical condition he is able to heal from the abuse he inflicts on himself," she said.

"He didn't do this to himself!" Tim and Dick said at the same time. Barbra and Cass hid their grins behind their coffee mugs.

"I know that, boys. I . . . I just get tired of seeing him hurt," Leslie said.

That got nods of agreement from all of them.

"I'm going to cut down on his morphine, since after being on it only a week there are withdrawal symptoms. Bruce doesn't need withdrawal on top of everything else. I also think we should move him from the Cave up to his own rooms."

"Unfortunately that means he will soon be leaving his rooms to resume his search for Maxwell Lord," Alfred said.

"I think I can convince him that staying in bed has certain. . . attractions," Selina said, with a smirk.

"Just remember he's injured, dear," Leslie cautioned, a smile on her lips.

"We don't need the details!" Tim put in, causing Dick and Barbra to laugh.

In the Fortress of Solitude Clark turned as he heard the hum of the teleporter. He couldn't help but wince at the memory of the last time he'd had a 'guest'.

"How are you?" J'onn asked.

"I've known Bruce for years, and he can still surprise me," Clark answered, dodging the question.

"You've seen him?"

"Yes."

"How is he?"

"Healing. Hurting, even with the painkillers."

"He admitted that?"

"Batman, admit to pain? Not even morphine makes him that talkative."

"What did he do that surprised you?" he asked, returning to Clark's original statement.

"You mean besides talking to me?" Clark asked, with a wry smile.

"Yes, besides that."

"He's forgiven me. That simple. That fast. I'm forgiven."

"I'm a telepath, and he can surprise me," J'onn admitted. "His is the most complex mind I've ever encountered. The most disciplined. His emotions also run the deepest. Perhaps that's why he's so good at hiding them," he mused.

Clark gave a nod.

"Even so, this seems almost out of character. One would expect some anger."

"Oh, he's angry all right. At Maxwell Lord. He's not as angry as he was after Joker killed Jason. But, he never gets as angry when someone hurts him as when someone hurts his family."

"I've noticed that is true of most humans," J'onn observed.

"Yes. I guess it is," Superman agreed. "I really wouldn't want to be Lord when Batman finds him. And this is one time I will not try to stop him."

J'onn decided that Superman had delayed long enough. "You never answered my question abut how you are doing. You've recovered from the kryptonite exposure?"

"Yes."

"You're still hurting." It was not a question.

"Bruce's forgiveness helped with the guilt, but . . . its been a long time since I've cursed my abilities. My gifts," he added in the tone of sarcasm and bitterness. Two things he usually didn't indulge in.

"They are gifts, Clark. You've used them to save a great many people."

"I used them to all but kill my best friend. If it hadn't been for the technology at the Watchtower, he'd have died. If it wasn't for his body armour he'd never have lasted long enough to make it to the Watchtower. If it had been anyone other than Bruce, he'd be dead. And don't bother denying it. I saw the condition he was in. Only his willpower was keeping him alive."

J'onn couldn't argue that. "But he is alive. That is what matters, and what you need to remember."

Clark nodded, but the sense of self loathing lessened only slightly.

The next morning Bruce awoke in his own bed, with a warm body curled against him. Moving carefully he shifted position so he could look at her. Since she most definitely had not been there when he went to sleep he figured she'd slipped in after going on patrol with Nightwing. He was a bit surprised to realize that he didn't mind the intrusion. A moment later she opened her eyes.

"Morning," she said, leaning up for a kiss.

"How was patrol?" he asked a few minutes later.

Selina promptly hit his shoulder, but made sure not to hit any of his healing injuries. "Just a hint, Bruce. When you wake up with a beautiful woman in your bed, you don't ask about patrol. . . .But I guess I can tell Leslie and Alfred that you're back to your usual charming self."

Rather than apologize he gave her another kiss, this one longer and more intense.

"Okay, maybe you haven't lost all your charm," she conceded, when her breathing got back to something approaching normal. Then she snuggled against him and closed her eyes.

A smile twisted his lips as he realized that she'd neatly trapped him in bed for at least a few more hours. He knew she wasn't yet asleep and that if he tried to get up she'd find some excuse to keep him with her. Deciding that a few more hours of rest, with her in his arms, wasn't such a bad idea Bruce relaxed and let himself drift into a light doze.

A few hours later Selina climbed out of bed and wrapped her robe around herself.

"You don't need to protect me from Clark," Bruce said as he watched her.

"As if I could. It was fairly clear that you'd forgiven him. I just wanted to make sure he knew the rest of us hadn't."

"Selina."

"But I might be persuaded to," she said sitting back down on the bed.

Bruce responded by pulling her closer and kissing her.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," she told him.

"Are you complaining?"

"Not at all," she said, before kissing him again.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Bruce called.

"You two going to stay in bed all day?" Dick teased with an impudent grin.

"We might," Selina said from her place on the edge of the bed, having sat back up.

"I thought you might care for some breakfast," Alfred said, lifting the lids off the trays.

Selina looked over at Alfred. "I don't suppose it was luck that Superman showed up while Nightwing and I were out on patrol."

"Superman was here?" Dick asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I asked him to stop by," Alfred answered, then turned to Selina. "And no, Miss Selina, it was not luck. I find leaving things to luck a sloppy way of doing business."

"Has Barbra made any progress in finding Brother I? Or Max Lord?" Batman asked, purposely changing the subject, and reminding Dick who they were really after.

"Not yet," Dick said, having gotten Bruce's point. "But she thinks she's getting close."

Bruce nodded. It was good to have Oracle back, if only temporarily. "Why don't you go help her," Bruce suggested. Just as during the gang war he wanted to make the two work together, in the hopes that if they got their working relationship back on track their personal relationship would work itself out.

Dick narrowed his eyes. "Quit trying to play matchmaker, dad. Babs and I will work things out when we're ready to." But even so Dick's eyes had lit up at the thought of another day working with Barbra and he soon left to join her in the Cave, now convinced that his father was well on the way to recovery.

TBC

Next chapter is the last. When they find Max Lord Bats thinks he's healed up enough to face him, the others aren't so sure. . .

Trecebo: I'm glad you liked the conversation between Bruce and Clark. I had fun writing it ;-) It's nice to hear I got it right. Sorry you didn't like how I had Selina when she talked to Clark. Hope her explanation cleared things up. You're right that she'd be NOOO match for Superman. Thanks for the encouragement and support. It means a great deal to me.

Cristy W-S: THANKS! Glad you like the story. Like you say, nothing like morphine to break down the defenses. I'm very happy to hear that you liked both conversations. I agree that Bruce and Dick needed to clear the air. It means a lot to know I got the two conversations right. Thanks again!


	6. Show Down

Title: Healing

Author: Jenn

A/N: Sorry this last chapter took so long to post. The ending is always the hardest part of a story for me to write. Hope this turned out okay. . . Thanks to those who read this story, and especially those who took the time to give me feedback!

SHOWDOWN

"What do you think you're doing?"

Hearing the snap of irritation in Leslie's voice Bruce turned to face her. "A light workout. You did tell me I was allowed to do some light exercise," he reminded her.

"Yes, I did," she admitted, still scowling. "I forgot just how different our definitions of 'light exercise' are."

"Barbra has located Brother I," he told her.

"And you're going to go no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"I'm fine, Leslie."

"Less than a week ago you were literally knocking on death's door," she reminded him. "I know the healing rays helped, but you're still not fully healed. For most patients I'd insist on another month of recovery. From you I'll just ask for one more week. Let Nightwing and the others handle Max Lord." She didn't usually like referring to Bruce, or his protégés, by their alternate names, but she wanted to remind Batman of how capable Nightwing was. Not that he was likely to forget, but a little reminder never hurt.

"I can't," came the answer.

With sadness written on her face Leslie nodded. Being who he was, Bruce honestly couldn't. It simply wasn't in his nature.

That evening they gathered to plan their attack on Brother I. Superman joined them, as did Flash.

"Flash, Supermen. There are going to be people on Brother I besides Lord. You'll need to get them to the Watchtower."

For a second Clark considered teasing Bruce about wanting to take down Lord himself, but seeing the deadly serious expression on Batman's face he decided against it "The Watchtower?"

"The holding cells. I have some questions for them," he said in a tone colder than an arctic winter.

The next morning Maxwell Lord turned as he heard a sound behind him. The sound of the Watchtower teleporters.

He doubled over as a fist drove into his gut with the force of a sledgehammer. Then he fell to the ground as his feet were knocked out from under him.

Batman turned from the fallen man and walked to the main computer.

Lord tired to stand up, but a foot on his chest held him in place.

"Don't get up on our account," Nightwing instructed. His trademark grin was in place, but the anger burning in his blue eyes convinced Lord to do as he was told.

Robin, Batgirl and Catwoman had split up and were taking down the other guards in the room.

Batman was focused on the computer. As he'd expected, Brother I had been looking for Superman ever since his attack on Batman. Bruce was glad that out of friendship for Clark he'd made sure the Fortress of Solitude was shielded from Brother I, as were several other locations and the Watchtower. After shutting down the internal scanners everywhere except the Command Center he let Superman and Flash know it was safe for them to teleport in.

A moment later the connection was set up and the proper files were downloaded from the Watchtower. The files that showed Max Lord had been behind Superman's attack on Batman. It took only a few seconds for the Brother I computer to verify the accuracy of the records.

Batman's eyes widened in shock as he read the messages that scrolled across the screen.

TARGET: TEACHERBLACK KINGMAXWELL LORD:TERMINATE

A laser fired, burning it's way through Lord's heart, killing him instantly.

TARGET: ELIMINATED

"Brother I, explain," Batman ordered, his tone harsh, strained. How had brother I been able to kill? After the Tower of Babel incident he'd been careful to make sure that Brother I could keep an eye on the Meta-humans, but not be a threat to them. He'd spent days writing in the programs to make sure that it couldn't kill. But it just had. . .

"The Teacher tried to terminate the life of the Creator. This could not be allowed," replied the computerized voice.

"It's poetic justice really," came another voice.

"Jessica," Batman said as he turned to greet Checkmate's White Knight.

She nodded, then continued. "Batman doesn't kill. That's the one thing your allies and enemies can agree on. And you made sure that Brother I couldn't kill. Lord was more than a little angry when he found that out, so one of the first things he did was erase those protocols. It took him weeks, but he finally managed it. He wanted Brother I able to kill, and it ended up killing him. Like I said, poetic justice," she explained with a smirk. She'd never been fond of Maxwell Lord, and thought he'd gotten exactly what he deserved.

Batman turned back to the computer and entered a different set of commands. A set he'd hoped he'd never be forced to use. The screen went dark as Brother I's main programming was erased. Only back up power for the lights, environmental systems, and to keep the satellite in orbit remained.

"What will you do with it now?" Robin asked.

"Dismantle it. A lot of the parts could be used as spare parts for the Watchtower if needed. The rest will be routed back into WayneTech's R&D department, where they came from."

"We can clean up here," Nightwing said. He could see that this mission was taking a lot out of Batman and wanted him safely in the Watchtower, near medical care if he ended up needing it.

Batman gave him a nod, and walked over to Jessica, and teleported them to the Watchtower.

Once the remaining members of Checkmate were locked up Superman turned to Batman. "I know you'll probably ignore me, but I have a suggestion."

"I don't ignore you Superman. I may not do as you suggest, but I always listen to the suggestion before doing things my way," Batman pointed out.

'Yep. He's back to his old self,' Superman thought as he suppressed a grin. "They aren't going anywhere. Go home and get some rest. Let them sit in their cells and worry."

Batman gave a slight nod. "Not a bad plan," Batman admitted. He wasn't willing to admit just how much pain he was in without the painkillers, and how tired he felt. Taking the rest of the day to sleep, and then waking them up in the middle of the night for questioning would allow him to be rested, and them tired, during the questioning. "I'll be back tonight. . . . Thank you."

"Anytime, my friend. Anytime."

After the rumors that had been going around for the past week, more than a few member of the League were reassured by the familiar sight of Batman and Superman off to one side having a quiet conversation.

The next day the permanent members of the League gathered in the Conference Room, and they were all glad to see Batman back in his usual chair. There was still a lot of tension and issues to be resolved, but the League had held together.

Out in the hall Green Arrow, Hawkman and Zatana stood talking.

"You know they're talking about us, about what we did. What I did," Zatana said.

"We all voted. Don't take all the blame on yourself. Batman's forgiven Superman. Maybe he's forgiven us."

Green Arrow looked at Hawkman in disbelief. "I wouldn't bet on it. And I don't think Superman is going to be in a forgiving mood either," he said before walking away.

As the sun sank towards Gotham Bay the nest day the Batmobile raced towards Gotham. Not long after sunset whispers were heard in Gotham's Underworld. Not long after midnight those whispers turned to warnings. Batman was back.

A few hours before dawn, in the privacy of the Batmobile, Batman allowed himself a smile. In the rearview mirror, he saw Gotham, secure as he could make it. Beside him sat Selina. On the road ahead of him Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl were on their bikes and appeared to be engaged in a race back to the Cave, where Alfred, Leslie and Barbra waited. It was a good night.

FINIS

Trecebo: THANK YOU! For all the great feedback. Hope you like how I dealt with Max Lord, even if I didn't let Bats hurt him too much. I have to agree with you about Selina. She isn't on WW or HG's level. But as long as she stays in Gotham (with Bruce ;-) or takes on 'normal' criminals rather than super villains I like her.

Proponent of EVO: Thanks! Glad you liked the story. Hope you liked the ending. Thank you!


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